Since it's so easy to hit the armor cap with any type of armor, I usually just use console commands to make a Jeweled Amulet that add 500 to my armor rating, and just wear my favorite light armor or clothing.

the ability to do that has always been available on tes.

however, difficulty should still be a factor. period.

Yeah, I know that difficulty plays a large part in full enjoyment and immersion, but if I'm going to hit the armor cap soon after I hit 100 smithing, I usually just make the amulet I talked about after I hit 100 smithing. That way I can wear whatever I want and not sweat the small stuff. At least on master you still take decent amounts of damage at 570 armor rating.

EDIT: The exception is a vampire necromage that uses dragonhide.

Heavy armor should offer more protection, but reduce the Agility or Speed of the Character. Only we don't have Speed and Agility in this game, so what could be reduced by wearing heavy armor? I agree that the Weightless Perk should be only 50% Weight and that might be the best that can be done. But, is that enough?

Unless someone can think of another balance detriment to the armor.

Light Armor used to wear out faster and need more repair, but that is out of the game too.

Maybe is best that it comes down to Aesthetics after all.

no. you were correct with degradation. it should be a part of regular gameplay. not, a non-existent hardcoe, lol.

take what makes light and heavy different: weight, lol. determine the appropriate and creative differences within the framework of tes and rpg's.

imo.

The 2 characters I've got at the moment are an altmer battlemage in dragonplate and an Orc shadow warrior who I've just started in iron, though I want to get her into the ebony mail and other ebony armour. I've just always preferred heavy armour in all the TES games I've played, I've always preferred the look and the protection it offered. I don't have smithing on either of my chars so I won't reach the cap and they tend to get into open combat where I take a lot of damage so I need the extra protection.

Light Armour has never really offered the protection, looks, and sheer badassery that I've needed.

i cannot stand those heavy armour, light armour look sway to good to switch to the clunky stuff

Once they fix the "Tower of Strength" perk, Heavy will definately hold an edge over Light Armor with the -50% Stagger. Only other way to get Stagger Resistance is the "Fus" Meditation. The +50% Stam Regen of Light Armor is easily replicable by enchants or potions.

My Nord Warrior and Gogron Gro-Bolmog are in agreeance. "What do you mean nobody can see you? Where's the fun in that? Damn the bonus, I say! Just walk in there and stab him!"

What about no armor cap and offer diminishing returns the higher you get. Reduce the armor of Light a little so there is a significant difference late game with how much of a beating you can take. Early game is ok, its just late game, it feels stupid to me that someone wearing full Daedric takes as much damage as someone wearing fur. Same with Daedric compared to Steel, the former should always be better, there shouldnt be a way to make Steel as good as it, I don't mind if you can significantly improve Steel so its viable end game, but Daedric should always be able to have an edge, this is another kettle of fish though.

But back on topic, I really don't like a game having such a low armor cap, it's just too easy to get to it. Diminishing returns may not be the answer but what about raising it significantly and balance the game around it, so everytime you go up in tiers of armor you feel improvement in your character. And choosing Light/Heavy should play a much more significant role then just Aesthetics. There doesnt have to be inventive ways to seperate the two armors, it should just be the obvious choice, you should take more damage when wearing less (lighter) armor. You should move faster and swing faster when wearing lighter armor.

I disagree. Banded iron armor is the best looking/most practical appearing armor in the game.

Totally false. The heavy armor perks are just as beneficial. There are more heavy armor perks too so please don't point out the 2 or 3 you think are worthless because there are still the same number of heavy armor perks even with those removed. Heavy can be made to weigh nothing with a perk so weight is no issue. It isn't that difficult to get armor to 70 to get the perk so don't bother saying it only comes late game because that isn't true at all. Just don't hold the shield up so much early on. And get to a trainer. I had it by my mid 20's.

The main differences between the two in the end is looks and your play style, or how you want to role play your character.

There is more than aesthetics to armor choice. Heavy armor lets you reflect damage if you take the right perk. If you want to eventually kill things a little faster in melee, then choose heavy over light. Heavy is also a better choice for fist fighters.

you are factually wrong, depending, on your choice.

one requires less perks than the other.

I actually agree with that. And banded iron shield is the best looking shield. I just wish there was a perk for improving basic iron and leather armors. The best looking stuff in the game and there is no perk for improving it? What is up with that?

a lack of creativity or a lack of desire to be creative. which do you prefer?

I might agree with this if Tower of Strength was not completely bugged and actually did something. Take that one out and the differences boil down to aesthetics and increased fall distance with heavy verses increased stamina regen with light armor.

they pretty much equal out.

i'm now creating my most powerful character ever. the hybrid. i am dominant at a much earlier level on master than any of my 'specialized' characters. not even close.

thanks to those that helped me see and do this.

Even then the left-side perks in Heavy Armor would still be of debatable utility, although the 'no-weight' one would at least have the benefit of freeing one from being shackled to the Steed Stone should one desire to actually move at a decent rate whilst wearing the stuff.

I still think that the main problem with Heavy Armor is that even uncapped you'd never need all the AR it can provide; non-caster enemies do not have armor-piercing attacks, the 'bleed' effect is often trivial compared to character HP pools, especially on higher settings, and the bonus damage from critical perks is pathetic at best because it keys off the base, rather than enhanced, damage of the weapons.

is there a point to light armor at all? By the time you are at endgame heeavy armor is weightless, and the benefits from items such as ebony mails make it ideal for sneaking more so than its light counterpart. All of my characters use heavy armor, more protection,more benefits still good for sneaking and weightless once maxed.

Agreed. I like the TG armor for looks. It's a lot like the leather armor from Oblivion. Unfortunately the enchantments are all wrong for anything but a straight up thief, unless you kill the leader of an unnamed, budding rival faction.

Steel Plate, in my opinion, is the best looking armor in the game.

I just maxed my toon out in HA and made a bunch of dragon bone. It looks like some ROFL GWAR or Juggalo outfit. I'm selling it and going back to ebony

Indeed, HA perk should only give you a 50% encumbrance benefit.

I say item non-degradation in Skyrim is horrendous.

Bethesda seems to exhibit cognitive fatigue, they simply can not sit down and work out a difficult balance issue for Skyrim. It was either 'all in' or 'cut it out like a cancer' because we can't get it to work right.

(same thing happened with attributes)

And I would also like my 'tank' HA character to feel like one, move slower, jump lower etc so when I play with my LA assassin I really feel the difference.

I can think of only three benefits to light armor over heavy.

1. Aesthetics -- Some may like the look of light armor better. Personally I prefer the look of the heavy armors, although some fo the hide, fur and leather look fine to me.

2. Stamina regen perk -- may be important to some folks who are doing a lot of power attacking and don't want to bother quaffing potions or eating their vegetable soup.

3. There are several unique sets of light armor that are well suited to sneaky types.

But, yeah, with the ebony mail (or a muffle spell/enchant) plus the weightless perk/steed stone and you can sneak just as well with heavy armor as light. My nightblade wears heavy armor because it looks so much better than light. I stopped wearing Ebony Mail though because the smoke got in the way of my vision. I just cast a muffle spell and wear my own custom set of ebony armor.

I'm the same. Here's my list

Altmer- Glass and Elven armor and weapons. If I'm not using them I wearing master destruction or Thalmor robes

Bosmer- Glass Elven and the armors you get from the Dark brotherhood and thieves guild.

Dunmer- Ebony and Dwemer armor

Nord. Wolf armor, Dragon plate, Steel plate, and scaled

Orc- Orc armor

Redguard- Dwemer armor and weapons most of the time, but I do mix it up with other stuff.

Yes, i found that most of my character wear light armor. It is not because whatever advantages light armor in Skyrim can provide. I love medium armor, prefer mobile over defense, too bad medium armor does not exist in Skyrim.

But to say, i bring my smithing to dragon smith just to that found almost all light armor looks terribly ugly, leather is the only light armor looks okay but i hate armor without pant... Thief guild armor is okay but by default not enchantable.

Luckily i play PC version for mod. Every pieces of armor my character is wearing are all from mod.